Ghana joins the world to commemorate anti-gender violence campaign

Ghana will tomorrow November 25 to December 10 join the rest of the world to embark on a campaign against Gender-based violence.

The celebration is to reinforce the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Speaking at the launch of the sixteen days of activism against gender-based violence, Minister for Gender, children and social protection said: “it is a campaign which emphasizes that gender-based violence in any form is a human rights violation and very unacceptable”.

Touching on the theme of the campaign which is "LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND: ‘’END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS’’, the minister said;

“There could not have been a more appropriate theme than the one selected for this year because statistics by the National Domestic Violence Unit (DOVVSU) of the Police Service indicate that from January to March 2016, 79 perpetrators were arrested for defilement whilst no woman was arrested for the same purpose meanwhile, 187 females were defiled as against 11 males within the same period”, Mad Djaba stated.

The 16-day program is expected to include the following activities:

Health Walks to be organized in all regions

A National Durbar to be held at Assin Fosu in the Central Region

A Debate between St Thomas Aquinas and Labone Senior High Schools

Outreach to some selected schools

Radio and Television Talk Shows across the regions.

Health Education and Screening

Stakeholder Consultations on the Draft Ghana Report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability

Stakeholders Meeting on Inclusive Policy on Education Forum on Disability

The Minister stressed that, “violence against women and girls is a crime against humanity and is punishable by law”.

“Women’s Rights are Human Rights because women are human. This, therefore, is to sound a warning to perpetrators out there that no one has the right to abuse another, no matter the situation so violence against women and girls has no justification”, she added.

The campaign is set to end on December 10, which coincides with the International Human Rights Day.